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The vSAN Witness Appliance is a pre-configured, optimized virtual machine provided by VMware (now Broadcom) as an OVF/OVA template. It does not store virtual machine data components. Instead, it stores only metadata, such as witness components, which require minimal storage and compute resources. Why You Need It

After deploying the vSAN Witness Appliance, you will need to configure it to work with your vSAN stretched cluster. This includes:

The vSAN Witness Appliance is responsible for:

VxRail: How to Deploy the VSAN Witness appliance | Dell Egypt

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Download the .ova file to a local directory or content library accessible by your vCenter Server. Sizing Choices During Deployment

The Witness is traditionally downloaded as an file. Choosing the virtual appliance over a physical host offers several advantages:

To download and set up the VMware vSAN Witness Appliance, you must use the Broadcom Support Portal, as VMware downloads have migrated there.

It is a "locked-down" host. You cannot run production virtual machines on it. Additionally, while it simplifies 2-node setups, it introduces a dependency on a third "witness site" that must have network connectivity to both data nodes. For 2-node or stretched clusters, it is a mandatory and highly effective

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to download the vSAN Witness Appliance from the Broadcom support portal, its requirements, and the deployment process in 2026. What is the vSAN Witness Appliance?

A: Yes, but it requires a dedicated physical server and consumes a vSphere license. The virtual Witness Appliance is the preferred method for most environments due to cost and simplicity.

Input network parameters (IP addresses, Subnet Masks, Gateway, and DNS) for both the Management and vSAN networks. 6. Finish and Power On

Used to communicate with the vSAN data nodes. This interface must have a layer 3 (L3) routing path to the vSAN network of the data nodes, as they are typically located in separate physical sites or subnets. Deployment Checklist

Open your vSAN cluster configuration wizard tool.